Peru's External Trade Federation (ComexPeru) stated that, in the past five years, Peruvian exports of Cavendish Valery plantains increased by 89.1%, as they went from US $80 million in 2012 to US $152 million in 2016.
According to Comexperu, the average annual growth rate in that period of time stood at 17.3%.
In 2016, they stated, the most important destination was the Netherlands, where they shipped US $51.5 million, i.e. 8.2% more than in the previous year.
The Netherlands was followed by the US with US $45.8 million (-14.9%), Germany with US $21.2 million (-4.3%) and Belgium with US $13.1 million (62.3%). These four countries accounted for the 86.5% of the market.
According to the Ministry of agriculture and irrigation (Minagri), plantain or bananas account for 3.64% of the country's agricultural production value. In 2016, plantain production recovered slightly (+0.8%) after it had contracted by 3.3% in 2015.
However, only 4% of the cultivated area corresponds to the certified Cavendish variety, and it is located in the departments of Tumbes, Piura and Lambayeque; which shows the great potential of this product that has a growing demand.
In January 2017, Peruvian exports of Cavendish Valery plantains amounted to nearly US $13.9 million, i.e. 1.3% more than in January 2016. This increase was driven by a higher production and higher market prices, which have increased by 20% in the last five years, according to Minagri.
